Give Dignity to Women and Young Girls in Zambia

Our seamstress Mary was able to create enough Comfort Kits that when she visited our local prison, each incarcerated woman received one! These women are now provided a little bit of comfort during their sentence, and know that Chikumbuso is keeping them in mind and cares about them. Now that we have reached our objective for this project, we are going to deactivate it. Thank you so much to everybody that donated to our goal, and we hope that you will continue to keep Chikumbuso in mind for future donations! We have updated our fundraising page, with our new needs and goals, so please check those out so that we can continue to be a thriving community!

In Zambia, many women and girls do not have convenient access to sanitary supplies. Menstruation can prohibit them from carrying out their daily tasks and make attending school impossible. In the Chikumbuso sewing room, aspiring seamstresses and tailors put their skills to good use by creating “comfort kits” for women to help ease the discomfort and inconvenience of their monthly menstrual cycle.

Due to the high number of young women that we care for on a daily basis in our school, it is especially convenient to be able to create these kits on site and distribute them to our students in need. Help us provide some comfort to our girls so that their main focus can be their education!

When I visited my sponsored child Belita this year, I brought her some clothes and shoes from the U.S.. She was really happy to receive the clothes but something was off. I asked her if everything was alright and she hesitated before finally admitting that she had gotten her period this year and that she didn't have anything to use during it. I was surprised that I hadn't thought of that, as she is of age, but brought her right over to Mary to buy one of the packs they produce for this project. Belita was so relieved that this wouldn't be an issue anymore for her and I was reminded yet again of how we take for granted the ease of purchase and use of sanitary products here in the U.S..

While this project may not be exciting or seem all that critical, it is of huge importance to the young girls and women in Ng'ombe and Zambia. Access to materials that allow them to continue to go to school or work is crucial in helping them create new opportunities for themselves.

Ever notice how the little things can mean so much? For women and young girls in Zambia, menstruation is one of those little things that takes on much more importance than it should. Can you imagine spending those few days at home in fear of what may happen, or hours washing cloths that aren't adapted to their use? Imagine the frustration, isolation, and exhaustion from adding one more thing to the long list of responsibilities and difficulties in your life. Now imagine all of this happening in prisons and hospitals around the country.

Chikumbuso has a real passion for helping those around us - it's part of our mission statement and embedded in our culture here at the center. But so many of the women we would like to help are not in our center or even in our community. Providing sanitary pads may seem like a little thing, but it means the world to women who think they have been forgotten.

Help us to continue to provide this service to others - please donate to this project and keep us running for another year. Even if it's just a little - it means a lot!

As the holiday season is upon us, we at Chikumbuso are preparing to celebrate with family and friends, as well as the entire Chikumbuso community - whether here in Zambia or across the sea in the U.S.. We are so grateful for all the folks who make up our circle of love and count our blessings that each of you is in our lives.

But even as we celebrate, we remember those whose lives are less than full, who are missing their families as they sit in prisons across Zambia. And while we can't do much for them, we know we must do what we can. Sanitary napkins and other feminine hygiene products can seem like a drop in the bucket for these women who have lost everything, but we know from speaking with them that these seemingly insignificant gifts show them they are not forgotten. By supporting this project, you are telling these women that while they may have lost their freedom and time with their families this holiday season, they are important and part of a community.

Please consider supporting this project during this time - a time when being reminded of love, community, and thankfulness is so important. Blessings to each of you.

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